If Doctor Seuss made video games I imagine it would look much like this.

I fully admit that I didn’t bother reading much if anything about Wildstar before diving in and so this is basically my own internal dialogue as to whether I wish to buy the game made external.

Plus points

I love the whimsy of the game. Exploring any virtual world has always ticked my boxes and Wildstar is no different there. Unlike recent WoW expansions too, it seems to favour wandering around looking at things rather than being forced into doing one quest at a time. It’s impossible not to smile when you shrink yourself to follow white vermin down rabbit holes and discover this:

The detail is stunning, I’m findings things to ooh and aah over everywhere I turn. I like the puzzle aspect of the game too, it’s not as simple as walk to x and kill 10 of y because after all games should get you thinking. The fact that I can wander to a higher level area and still get the quests even if I promptly get splatted pleases me.

Rivers have currents and if you don’t swim, you’ll be pulled down stream. I’ve spent far too much time drifting along testing this particular feature.

Pink Sheep…. nothing else needs saying.

Once I got the hang of the challenges I also found myself really enjoying them, especially the non killing ones (it turns out I’m a pro jumper) and yet, despite this I find myself questioning whether I wish to purchase the game. In order to do it justice, my graphics card would definitely need upgrading especially as jerky computer games mean migraines for me but that’s not an issue as Mr Harpy points out, we’d need to do that soon anyway. I think his apathy towards the game doesn’t help but then, I know if I said I want to play this, he’d have no issue getting two copies and trying it out.

So what are my negatives.

I’m not sure of the combat side. Now, I picked a class purely at random and ended up as an Aurin Esper without really knowing what I was getting in too and I’ve no issues at all whilst leveling but I’m not sure I like those boxes the game draws on the floor.

The character creation screen lacks options I feel. I was really hoping for more hairstyles/colours plus body shapes and yes, I realise it’s a multi player game which already taxes a lot of people’s graphics but still. That said, I’m playing a blue haired bunny with a large behind.

The whole cowboys and aliens vibe bothers me too. I suspect I’m a traditionalist in the sense that I like medieval-esque settings for games.

I think the whole housing aspect will swing it one way or another for me and now I just need to stop staring at the scenery and make it to the correct level for a piece of my own green and verdant land. Plus my bags are filling up with decorative items to put in a house and I can’t wait to see what they actually look like.

6 Responses

Ah damn, I thought I was the only person to discover that tiny tea party!

I completely agree with your assessment here; the exploration in Wildstar is fantastic! Being able to climb on anything and everything means every single nook and cranny of the map can be explored – though, like you, I would need to get a better graphics card if I bought it… And, of course, the money to afford two £7.50 subscriptions a month!

And alas, like you, sometimes I feel that it is just too silly. For me, games need to find some sort of balance between Monty Python ridiculous and The Walking Dead (game) depressing, and Wildstar is just a bit too jokey for me. I’d rather games played with my emotions than just making me smile slightly every so often.

It’s skirting the line for me definitely with the cartoon aspect. Plus I’ve hit a sort of sticking point with the quests where I’m struggling to push myself forward. If I’m being honest, I’m only doing it at the moment because I want to try out housing. Decision time is fast approaching though.

I’ve never heard of that game before. Is it a Blizzard game? I’ll try to look it up. Wandering around and exploring the land and enjoying tiny details that the developers have incorporated certainly sounds like a lovely way to spend an evening! :D

I’m REALLY looking forward to the housing. I think housing, crafting, and achievements will be my main play point in this game. So I’ll be rolling Aurin Spellslinger Explorer with Architect and Survivalist professions. :D

I am in two minds about the space cowboys too but it’s kinda fun. The music is excellent and it’s pretty and weird sheep and Cowboy Bebop.. *ahem*